The Strangers From Beyond The Stars
by Deidara the Arrancar Alchemist
Summary: When a man from Jeb's hideout goes missing, they don't expect him to return. But when he does, he's a different person and comes with a chilling tale of experiments on Humans and Souls. Something evil is afoot. Better than summary, please give it a shot!
1. Chapter 1

_Story Info~_

_Hey there, people!_

_This is my first story in 1__st__ person perspective, so go easy on me because this is uncharted territory for me! My most humble apologies if you don't like this. :(_

_This takes place about a year after the events of The Host, and the OC featured in it had been living with Wanda and the other members of the human resistance at Uncle Jeb's hideout. Italic writing is thoughts. Bold writing is a flashback._

_Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own The Host, or else why would I be writing a disclaimer. The Host and anything related to it are owned by the wonderful Stephanie Meyer, except for my OC. _

_Enjoy folks! :) _

_PROLOGUE _

A wall of darkness was all I knew, and I saw and sensed. It engulfed me like a yawning chasm into which I couldn't stop myself falling into. I panicked and writhed, seeking escape. Why couldn't I see anything?  
The answer eventually came to my sluggish brain: my eyes were sealed shut. I tried to prise them open, but the gossamer muscles of my eyelids were too weak to accomplish even that simple task.

So I had no choice but to lie in the compressing shadows of my stirring mind and try to grasp some answers to my numerous questions that slowly began to bloom. The basic ones came first: where was I?

This was difficult to determine not just because of the surrounding gloom, but also because I could not sense anything. Not even the slightest presence of feeling across my skin, or the caress of air across my flesh. Fear swelled in an ice-cold explosion inside me. It made me feel as if I was imaginary, as if a snatch of wind would shatter my feeble, ethereal existence.

But at last, some sensation reached me and I could spread out my presence across my body. A rhythmic throbbing in my ears told me that a heart was thudding in my chest, and pressure on my ribs told me a pair of lungs were inflating and shrinking and dragging blessed, sweet oxygen down my oesophagus. I could have sung for joy for knowing that I was alive, if I had the strength.

More feeling reached out tentative branches as I seized control and began to manipulate my body: my fingers could twitch and I could wiggle my toes, and a tautness in my throat made it clear that I could speak if I moved my lips and tongue. A dry croak squeezed out of my cracked lips, but the sound was incoherent and feather-soft whisper.

However, I froze when a chilling question slammed into me and yanked my stomach down sickeningly – who was I?

Sweat erupted down my slightly arched spine.

_Who am I? What am I?_

I didn't know. I fumbled for a name.

_Something beginning with W… Will?_

That name held some meaning to me, and with a gasp of alarm a few memories flickered before my eyes. But they were faded and blurred, like black and white photographs tarnished with age, or a rippled reflection in the water.

And then another name tickled the edges of my memory, but it might as well have been a description of nature.

_Willow Beside The Fastest Stream._

This held some more clarity to my broken mind. It was familiar and felt right, but uncertainty clung to it when that other name demanded attention. It was almost as if I had two voices arguing in my head.

Did I?

I sucked in a fearful breath, and explored the edges of my mind with caution.

_Hello?_

I felt idiotic talking to myself. But I trembled inwardly at the reply.

_Hello there._

Was that just an echo of the previous thought? I decided to ask myself something else.

_Who are you?_

There was a heavy pause.

_You tell me. _The answer was confused and carried undertones of something else… terror?

_You're not exactly helping _I frowned.

_Neither are you,_ the voice replied. _What's the last thing you can remember, human?_

Human? Of course I was human. But did that mean the thing inside my head was not?

_What are you? _

_I … can't say. I shouldn't even be able to hear you!_

_Same here! Get out of my head! _

Had I gone mad? Perhaps I had when the my last memory suddenly flashed into my head, the darkness banished by an eye-wateringly intense white light.

_**The world was all colours and light, the sun an orb of molten metal scorching a hole into the cerulean fabric of the sky that seemed to stretch on for eternity. The desert sand was like splinters of golden glass that sucked at my feet as I moved forwards, as if trying to drag me down or trip me up with malignant glee. The very air was baked dry and clogged with dust. **_

_**I was running, my legs screaming for respite, every vein burning with oxygen debt as my ragged lungs sucked in another slip of fiery air. My skin was ablaze yet soaked with salty sweat that I could taste on my rasping tongue. I glanced behind and my heart contorted: they were getting closer. **_

_**They were different to the other alien invaders I'd seen. These Souls weren't blissfully peaceful without question, devoid of compassion and a gentle nature. No, that wasn't true. Around other Souls they acted how I would have expected them to, but when in pursuit of a human –of me – it was as if a mask had been cast off. At first I guessed they were Seekers. But not even they were this ruthless, this crazy in the hunt like a pack of feral dogs. Their behaviour frightened me. It was not normal.**_

_**And then a pain struck my foot and the sky flipped upside down as I was thrown to the burning sand. I cursed as I saw I had tripped over a rock. I looked up and horror swallowed me: they had surrounded me, their strange guns pointed at my head and chest. They wore pale uniforms that flashed like mirrors in the sun's glare, like a cross between Seeker and Healer. **_

_**A cloth was clapped over my mouth and I yelled in protest, arms flailing. But then submissive, heavy purple drowsiness took over, and I was losing consciousness… **_

_**PAIN! Excruciating pain on the back of my neck… out neck, the neck. Please, no, get away, the agony, it burns us … me! Help us!**_

And then the memory vanished as soon as it had come, but the fear remained and was made more potent and terrible until it consumed me.

My eyes were wrenched open and dazzling lights glared at me and whirring sounds swilled around in my throbbing ears and I screamed until my hoarse throat could have bled.

_End of the chapter! Sorry for the weirdness of it all, and the fact that it was so rushed, but I really hoped you liked it. Reviews = love, by the way :) _


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2 is up! Hope you enjoy._

_Oh and to my lovley reviewer Pirate-On-Fleet-Street, Willow the Soul is male also, so sorry for the confusion because I know Willow is a human female name. _

_I really hate begging, but please review. Maybe it will get better when I get round to writing up the canon characters..._

_OK, here we go! _

CHAPTER ONE

The lights were an glaring white and my eyes streamed with salty tears. Had I died and gone to Heaven?

No, the light was fierce and scorched my retinas. I would associate the light of whatever afterlife there was to be soft and calming, not frightening in it's intensity.

I squinted for a few seconds before opening my eyes and surrounding my surroundings. My eyes rolled up to the ceiling which were pale tiles that looked like they could be lifted upwards, and those burning lights hovered and hummed subtly directly above me. Examining the walls told me they were white too, and although the paint was chipped it sparkled with over-cleanliness as if scrubbed raw. I guessed the floor looked pretty much the same.

I still felt rather stiff and board like as I wasn't quite accustomed to my body, but I could feel a soft duvet over me, but it was constricting and kept me pinned to the hard bed I was sprawled on. There was an equally fluffy pillow under my pounding head.

I could feel wires and tubes stuffed up my nose and pierced under the skin of my wrists, and swivlling my eyes to the right I saw that they were connected to a large metallic machine with little flashing multi-coloured lights. It made a mechanical beep in time with my rapid heartbeat.

Through the nostril that was not partially blocked, I could smell a sharp acidic smell. Disinfectant. The scent was over-powering and seemed to clog the atmosphere like a sinister miasma. I swallowed and my throat leaped as I felt a lump of bile sizzle my gullet as it slipped down. Everything here seemed so harsh and fierce and unnerving. It sent a tremulous, cold shiver down my sweat stained spine.

_I wonder where I am?_ I thought to myself, trying to make sense of my location and piece together an educated guess.

_It looks like a hospital_ answered a voice that was not my own.

I froze, transformed into a humanoid icicle. So I hadn't imagined that extra consciousness in my delirious state. Mustering my courage, I replied mentally.

_Please tell me who you are._

_You already know the answer_it replied. It detected a hint of sarcasm, and I decided the voice was male, like me. But I knew I wasn't talking to myself because it differed from my own tone. The other consciousness spoke with a soft, whisper-soft voice like sunlight spiralling down through a leaf-adorned canopy, but there was a strong and hardy undertone that spoke of independence and experience. My own voice was not as beautiful or colourful like this many-layered creature's.

Creature. Another stab of icy fear tugged at my stomach and made the acid within churn and slosh about like glacial water in a drum. I couldn't believe that I hadn't realised it before! I had been blind and ignorant.

The creature sharing my mind was a _Soul_.

_You're a Soul _I whispered to it- him. I trembled as a wave of nausea hit me. There was something else inside me, wrapped like a tenacious, tentacle-covered parasite around my taut nerves, tapping into _my_ body, trapped within _my_ brain. I couldn't accept it. I'd fallen prey of the Souls so easily.

_Yes,_ he sighed back. _And you are a human, Will._

_Don't say my name!_ I hissed back.

_Then what shall I call you then, Mr Human?_ Again with the sarcasm, but it was as light as his eloquent voice and good-natured.

_Wait a minute,_ I said, realising a major mistake. _If you're in my body, why am I still here?_

The Soul paused for a very long time as he considered this. _You're right. This is...different. _

But something wasn't right with how he answered. There was certainly fear and doubt in the reply, but something was ... off. As if he was far too unsure.

I was about to say something in return when I was interrupted by a sudden clang and thud. I swivelled my head at the sound and strained my sore neck in the process. I absent-mindedly wondered if the Soul sewn into my neck also felt the twinge of my tender muscles. But the remainder of my attention was focused on the woman that strode into the room.

She wore a long white coat as spotless and pristine as the room she'd jsut entered, with a pen and pencil and stephascope draped over her neck . A Doctor? The rest of her clothes were plain black which contrasted starkly with her coat. It was also very dark against her long locks of golden-blond hair that trailed down in a plait like a thick coiling rope. Shrewd narrow eyes the colour of jade were ringed with a hoop of startling silver. My heart jerked. She was a Soul too. Of course.

I wondered whether my eyes had the silver, tell-tale gleam of an alien beneath my skin. I quivered at the disturbing thought.

The tap of her stilletto heels pierced the floor and echoed all around as she approached the bed I was in. I shrank further into myself. If she worked out that I was still present and the Soul within me didn't have complete control over me, then I didn't dare think what would happen to me.

A smile pulled up the cornersof her lips, but her eyes weren't quite as warm. "How are you feeling, Will?"

The question caught me off guard. Was she speaking to me- human me - or the Soul who shared a similar name? I cleared my throat and aimed for an answer.

"Erm-" My voice sounded rusty and hoarse for misuse.

_Tell her the truth_ said the Soul with a figurative nudge to my brain.

_What!?_ I exclaimed.

_I know it's hard, but trust me._

Not knowing what to do, I exhaled slowly and glanced up to meet the doctor's eyes.

"Physically, tired and sore. Mentally, very confused and a little scared. I want to know what is happening, right now. And I want the truth because I am freaked out beyond reason and want to get as far away as all you Souls as possible. So please, cut any fluffy Soul crap and get to the point."

_Nice_the Soul within me commented dryly.

The doctor made an approved "Hmm" noise and scribbled something down on an electronic pad she withdrew from a pocket. She took her time, scrawling down each word with infuriating slowness as if she was writing in a calligraphic manner. Eventually she looked up,and the silver in her eyes glinted wickedly.

"It would appear that you are stronger than we expected. Few have survived the procedure."

"What do you mean?" I demanded, swallowing hard.

She leaned in close and smiled soothingly,but it seemed false and malignant. When she spoke, it was the same tone as a non-mother speaking to a child: every word was eunnicated slowly and carefully.

"You were a very lucky man, William Hayes. You somehow managed to evade capture by us Souls for about a few years. An admirable feat the problem is that humans can not hide forever. There are millions of Souls populating Earth, and a handful of rebel humans remain. I don't think they will survive much longer.

"But you're one of the lucky ones. Yes, it's true. You just don't know it yet."

"Please just tell me what's going on" I murmured impatiently.

The Soul Doctor pursed her lips for a while, and then she smiled and genuinely looked nice, like a proper Soul. "I think you're a little to weak at the moment. I suggest you get some rest. I'll return when me and my colleagues think it's safe for you to be up and about, OK?"

She left without waiting for an answer, the door slamming closed again, trapping him even more within the hellish confines of the bleached white room, and alone with my thoughts and my resident Soul.

_Willow?_I asked tentatively.

_Willow Beside The Fastest Stream, _he replied. _But I like Willow better, it's less of a mouthful. _

_Right... Can you please tell me what's going on? I know you know_I added after feeling a twinge of suprise and doubt from the Soul_._

_I know as much as you do._

_Liar. Now tell me why I can still think and move my body and why you aren't controling me. And what was with that doctor? _

Willow hesitated.

I sighed. _We're sharing the same brain, and you can't hide from me. _

_Yes I can_ smirked, and like a mirage melting into the desert air, he vanished into the depths of my mind, beyond my reach. I scowled and lay still, staring up into the white-hot lights.


	3. Chapter 3

_Huzzah! An update! Yes, I know it's been a while, but recently I've been invaded by plot bunnies that demand my attention. And all you Stephanie Meyer fans will be pleased to know I'm writing a Twilight fic. Darn, shouldn't advertise my own stuff. Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter three!_

CHAPTER TWO

I hadn't realised I'd fallen asleep until I woke up with a jolt after a loud noise had shattered my slumber. At first I was disorientated by the harsh lights and my vision swayed as if I was caught in a storm at sea. When my head cleared, I remebered where I was and slumped back against the pillows. I wondered what had woken me and I quickly found out.

The Healer had returned, and she hadn't come alone. This time, a short man with steel grey hair and a long face like a sleepy hound was at her side, dressed in a long white coat too. His eyes were grey too and the ring of silver blended into one colour, so at first glance it might not have been apparent what lurked in the base of his neck.

"Sorry to disturb you," the Healer woman said with a smile plastered over her face. "But we've decided we need to check up on you. Just a few tests and all, nothing to worry about."

When she leaned in close to my bedside, I instinctivly backed away. There was something unsettling about her, and I wanted to put as much distance between myself and her as possible.

"Oh come now, Will," she chided him playfully. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I was about to reply with a "Yeah, sure you aren't" but kept my mouth sealed. I scowled instead and let her take my wrist so she could measure my pulse. I was suprised at how pale and narrow my wrists were in the Healer's dainty hands. It looked like I'd been starved, but a more likely theory was that whatever experiment these strange doctors had done to me had used up a lot of my strength. The female doctor earlier said I was fortuante to survive their procedure. I shuddered: would it have been better if I'd died?

"Average heartbeat, Dr Kearns" the female Healer said to the other Healer. He nodded and wrote the results down on an electronic pad.

"Oh yes, I didn't introuduce myself," smiled the female Healer. "I'm Dr Snow Upon Icicles, and this is my college Joseph Kearns." Kearns nodded friendily in my direction.

I stiffened when she placed her stephascope on my chest, the metal cold against my skin. Again, she rallied the results on to Dr Kearns. The process went on as she tested my eyesight, hearing, reaction time. I would have thought this would be normal examinations after an operation if I knew I wasn't being tested by aliens that had invaded my plannet, and if I didn't have the suspicions of something uncharacteristically sinister about these two doctors.

Once they were done with me, Snow Upon Icicles's smile broadened and she said sweetly "We'll leave you some clothes and food, and in ten minutes we'll come back for you so we can show you around.

"Show- show me around?" I stammered questioningly. What on earth were they up to?

"Yes, Will," she said, talking to me as if I was an ignorant child and that the answer was obvious. "We're going to show you around." Her eyes gleamed; I swallowd drily and edged away.

The Souls left a pile of neatly folded clothes at the foot of my bed, as well as some food that was stored in one of those rectangular, cafetria-like trays that astronauts use in space. Then the door slammed shut again, and I heard a bolt rammed home. I felt even more like a prisoner.

I waited several moments before moving. Cautiously and slowly, I pulled the covers off and sat up. I heard by back crunch and stiffled a gasp. It was like I hadn't sat up for days, which I supposed I had. Gingerly, I got to my feet, wobbeled and had to throw myself towards the wall to stop myself falling over. My knees visibly shook like a newborn calf's.

I steeled myself, exhaled deepy, and slowly pushed away from the glistening walls. I managed to stand upright unsupported with only the slightest shake in my legs,which was good enough for now. I walked over to the foot of my bed and took the clothes, which consited of jeans, a white T-shirt and underpants. The T-shirt was as prisinte and sparkling white as the room I was confined in, all the clothes stiff and straight and new.

I felt a shiver of paranoia creep over my shoulders with chilly hands. I glanced aorund the room to see if there were any cameras trained on me. Even though I could detect any pin-points of red light or odd devices stowed in the corners of the room and behind the medical equipment, I still felt edgy. I could feel their silver eyes watching me through the walls.

But I snapped myslef out of it and got dressed into the new clothes. There was a square mirror pinned against one of the burning white walls, and I moved over to it to check my reflection. Bruise-like shadows were smudged beneath my eyes, my dark blond hair touselled and forming stiff spikes. My skin was sallow and almost as pale as the paint on the walls. But this was nothing. I almost screamed out loud when I saw my eyes.

There it was: the proof of the Soul sucking on my mind. Twin circles of an almost metallic silver melted into the blue of my irirses, as much a foreign presence to me as the parasite that had latched itself to me in an effort to steal my body for it's own. I felt sick and disgusted.

_You know, you're really not making me feel too greatright now _ said a sad voice in my head.

I froze. Damn, I'd forgotten about Willow! A sense of guilty shame stole over me and my cheeks warmed. _I'm sorry, Willow. I didn't mean it like that. _

_No, I understand,_ he sighed in reply. _I know how much humans hate us Souls, but I suppose you have a good reason. But you have to remember it's not our fault. I was born this way; it's my nature._

I nodded, but couldn't help frowning a little. I had to admit that Souls were designed to share a host body, but that didn't mean it made me feel any better, or justify a full-scale invasion of Earth. Leeches were born to suck blood of their victims, but that didn't mean that it was perfectly fine to let them do so.

I turned away from the mirror and tried to turn my attention to the food. It looked like some sort of casserole and the tray was warm against my hands. My stomach growled like a beast before it eats its prey. God, I was hungry! I was hungry enough to eat a field of cattle and still be ravenous enough for more, or at least that was what it felt like.

I jabbed the plastic fork that had come with it and quickly scooped up a miniture mountain-load. I was about to shove it down my throat when I froze, fork an inch from my open mouth. I frowned and sniffed the food, then eyed it analytically.

_It's not posion!_ said Willow with the hint of a chuckle. I could imagine the Soul rolling his eyes, but Willow was unable to claim control of mine so the action was only figurative.

_Are you sure?_ I thoguht back, unsure if I coudl trust the creature sharing my body.

_Why would they promise you a tour and then murder you before you had a chance to look around?_ Willow explained. _Besides, you haven't eaten forever. Seeing that I'm stuck in here with you I can feel your hunger as well._

With a last suspicious glance at the food, I took a bite. I felt the heat of it slip down my gullet and sit heavily in my tightened stomach. Instantly, I felt a sense of frenzy take over, and I'd eaten everything within 60 seconds. I regretted eating so fast though, as suddenly my gut contorted and strained.

A loud screech made me snap around, startled. The Soul doctors had returned. I felt my blood run cold.

"Come along, Will," said Snow Upon Icicles. "We have so much to show you."

_Hmm, this chapter was a little longer than I first anticiapted. I promsie some real chilling action next chapter! _


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